e was very
swift in grasping a situation, very sharp in reading character, very
cunning in the pursuit of his pleasure, very adroit in deception, if
he thought that publicity of pursuit would be likely to lead to the
frustration of his purpose.

He had seen at once that Artois either knew, or suspected, who were the
occupants of the white boat with the green line, and he had also seen
that, influenced perhaps by one of those second thoughts which lead men
into caution, Artois desired to conceal his knowledge, or suspicion.
Instantly the Marchesino had, therefore, dropped the subject, and as
instantly he had devised a little plan to clear the matter up.

The Marchesino knew that when Artois had arrived in Naples he had had no
friends in the town or neighborhood. But he also knew that recently an
Englishwoman, an old friend of the novelist, had come upon the scene,
that she was living somewhere not far off, and that Artois had been to
visit her once or twice by sea. Artois had spoken of her very casually,
and the Marchesino's interest in her had not been awakened. He was not
an inquisitive man by nature, and was always very busy with his own
pursuit of pleasure. But he remembered now that once he had seen his
friend being rowed in the direction of Posilipo, and that in the evening
of the same day Artois had mentioned having been to visit his English
friend. This fact had suggested to the Marchesino that if his suspicion
were correct, and the ladies in the white boat with the green line were
this English friend and a daughter, they probably lived in some villa as
easily reached by sea as by land. Such villas are more numerous towards
the point of the Capo di Posilipo than nearer Naples, as the high road,
after the Mergellina, mounts the hill and diverges farther and farther
from the sea. The Antico Giuseppone is a small waterside ristorante at
the point of the Capo di Posilipo, a little below the Villa Rosebery.

The Marchesino's suggestion of a dinner there that evening had been
prompted by the desire to draw his friend into the neighborhood of his
charmer of the sea. Once there he might either find some pretext for
making her acquaintance through Artois--if Artois did know her--or, if
that were impossible, he might at least find out where she lived. By the
manner of Artois when the Antico Giuseppone was mentioned, he knew at
once that he was playing his cards well. The occupants of the white
boat were known to the nove